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“Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, ‘She doesn’t have what it takes’. They will say, ‘women don’t have what it takes.” – Clare Boothe Luce

For as long as I could remember, being a girl came with double standards. I was urged to reach for the stars, push for greatness and be the best that I could be. Yet, being ‘like a girl’ was one of the biggest insults that you could say to any kid on the playground.

The fact that little girls believe that “like a girl” is an insult is disheartening. The phrase has lowered the confidence of many girls and continues to humiliate them.

Always and director Lauren Greenfield have teamed up to create an inspiring campaign that show how a simple phase can have a significant and long-lasting impact on girls and women. They have created a movement that will redefine the phase “like a girl” into a positive affirmation.

As Always says, “We’re kicking off an epic battle to make sure that girls everywhere keep their confidence throughout puberty and beyond, and making a start by showing them that doing it #LikeAGirl is an awesome thing.”

Every single girl has the ability to push the standards and boundaries that society has placed around them. Education needs to start now to remove the double standards and the negative cogitation around the phrase ‘Like a girl”.

I urge you all to take a stand and show young girls everywhere that #LikeAGirl should never be used as an insult. I urge you to let young girls know that they are special, strong, talented and amazing. And that they should never be ashamed of being themselves.

I am a student, a blogger, a development practitioner, an activists, an explorer. And I do all of this #LikeAGirl #Always

But to me, development is complicated. There isn’t a clear definition that explains what development is other than is the process of change. However, that definition varies between individuals, groups, towns, and nations. Everyone has their own viewpoint of what is important to them and their regions.

So with that I ask you:

How do you decide what is important in development? To invest your time, effort, money and resources? To advocate and fight for? What serves more attention over the other?

To be honest, if someone came up to me and asked me those questions I wouldn’t be able to give them a simple answer. My perspectives of the key to development has shifted far to many times to count. When I came into the International Development program, I thought restructuring political systems were key, yet by the end of first year I became passionate towards the importance of water security. By the end of my second year I believed that development must incorporate economic structures and urban planning. But now with the help of a few of my friends, I have become more engaged with issues among women and minority groups.

I find myself in a limbo of what issues stands to be more precedent. Development is complicated. Everything is connected but there are many faults that lie within the political, economic and social systems. Within political, economic and social system, I think that longevity would be key to development. Therefore, I believe that the direction of development lies within sustainability.

The concept of sustainable development entered the minds of global citizens in the early 1970s as a concept that looked achieving an equilibrium between the economy and environment. However, sustainable development is more notably defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Sustainable development does not only apply to the environmental and economic issues but it looks at the social implications as well. Worldly problems and issues are interconnected. For example, water scarcity and inequalities can impact community health with water contaminations, dehydration, access and further illnesses. As a result, this can impact the surrounding natural environment, habitats and animals and the local economy. Resources are becoming finite and populations are growing at a exponential rate. Problems link together and political regulatory bodies need to address these concerns through understanding the future implications. Through achieving sustainable development we will be able to achieve a global society that will become more inclusive, environmental conscience and economically feasible.

What is development to you? Feel free to comment and add your opinion on what the key is development.

My fellow indevour Erin wrote an interesting post today about Lenses (Please check it out and her blog). Essential Erin argued that we (human beings) view the world in different lens (such as gender, culture, socio-economic level, sexuality, etc ) and these lenses affect the way we view certain issues and ideas. However, it is important to understand and be aware of other lenses that may be different to you. The lack of understanding and awareness has caused many disputes and conflicts.

We are fortunate enough to be living in a society that allows people to fight back for their rights and freedoms. The global society is constantly being educated to use political correct terms, to be inclusive in their language and to respect others views and opinions. Yet, there are always a few ignorant folks who fail to do so. The lack of responsibility for their actions has sparked many disputes and controversy. Just this past week, numerous headlines and events appeared on my social media from Coca- Cola’s American Beautiful Diversity Ad to Piers Morgan’s Misgendered Insults and to the highly debated Issues surrounding Sochi 2014 (All to be blogged and commented about in the later further). But what they all have in common is the lack of understanding, lack of education and lack of awareness.

The craze of this world is surrounded by the lack of understanding, lack of education and lack of awareness. It is getting better but at what cost. The cost of humiliation, harassment, ridicule, and pain. People are constantly fighting for their voice to be heard, to gain equal rights and privilege as the white elite men. And slowly but surly they are winning their fights. Yet no matter where you go in the deepest darkest corners of the world you will find that one ignorant stubborn person that fails to listen to and understand the lenses of those around him or her.

But there is hope. Our generation is learning, becoming more educated and are making more informed decisions. While the spread of social media can be a threat to society it has proven to be blessed invention that has helped informed people, keep them connected with like minded souls, and helped create social change. Whether it be small or big, change occurs everyday. It doesn’t matter where you are from or what you do or what you believe in. Just remember to stay informed, understand all points of view and lenses, and be aware that you opinion is not the only thing that matters. There are about 7.14 billion other beautiful souls out there that have a voice and that matter. Take the time and listen to their voice before you expect people to listen to yours. And that itself will give us hope.